Purpose: To examine the effect of topical bevacizumab on corneal neovascularization (NV) over a period of 3 months.
Design: Prospective, nonrandomized, masked observational case series.
Participants: Ten eyes of 7 patients with corneal NV.
Methods: Patients received topical bevacizumab (1.25%) twice daily. Ophthalmic evaluations included visual acuity, slit-lamp examination, and tonometry.
Main outcome measures: Corneal NV and changes in ophthalmic evaluations.
Results: Decreased corneal NV was noted in 7 of 10 eyes, usually within 1 month of treatment. Epitheliopathy (epithelial defect, epithelial erosion) was observed in 6 of 10 eyes, 1 resulting in corneal thinning. Adverse effects generally appeared during the second month of treatment.
Conclusions: Topical application of bevacizumab was effective in reducing corneal NV within the first month. However, by the second month there was an increased risk of adverse effects.